My puppy is having a front leg amputated...any suggestions for after care?

Hello!
I am new to this forum but I thought I would ask all of you pet lovers if you had any suggestions about after care for my baby girl that is having her front right leg amputated tomorrow.

Little background:
I adopted Ruby from a small town shelter in TX a few months ago. When I adopted her they said she had been burned and the burn was healing. When I took her to the vet the next day to have her checked out the "burn" was infected and had abscessed, so we took care of it. As she started to grow we noticed that her leg with the "burn" was growing at a strange angle. I again took her to the vet and he did some xrays and it turns out she had been shot with a pellet gun and the pellet was stuck in the growth plate. We had the pellet removed with the hope that this would straighten out her leg but knowing it probably wouldnt help. Well we were right and it didn't help. The damage had been done to the growthplate and only one of the two bones in her lower leg has grown so her leg is now almost twisting backward as it grows. We have seen a specialist and have chosen to amputate her leg to take the pain away and help her have a more normal life. She is just about 10 months old so the vet thinks she will be just fine. He laughs and tells me that dogs are born with 3 legs and a spare and she will be quicker than before. (I was hoping it would slow her down a bit but oh well! HAHA)

Ok so back to my question... any suggestions from anyone about after care and helping her get back to her normal routine with her "brother"? An hour doesn't go by without them wrestling and I am worried about her being too active. Also I have to return to work on Monday, should I find a puppy sitter, or should she be ok in her kennel during the day while I am at work??

Sorry to hear about your little Ruby. One of our members bendyfoot has a dog called Jaida who went through a front leg amputation last year. Here is the link to Jaida's story, you should be able to find some useful information therein

I havent any advice to give you, BUt i would just like to say good luck to your little puppy! I hope she recovers quickly !!! Please give up updates on how shes doing after her surgery, it would be very appreciated! Welcome to the board!

Like you, I had a little time to plan for (i.e. fret over) my pup's upcoming amputation...unlike the unfortunate ones whose pups have an accident or sudden cancer diagnosis Jaida had a club foot that was really just a pain in the butt for her (right front leg). She had it amputated when she was about 7 months old.

My vet uses the "three legs and a spare" line too, and it's true! Your girl will do just fine. What kind of dog is she? How big/how much does she weigh?

If you read my old thread, you'll see that we had some, er, issues. I've spoken with dozens of tripod-moms and dads and NOT ONE had the same problems we did. Jaida is the living embodiment of Murphy's Law, if it can go wrong it will

So, for 99.9% of amputees, here's what you can expect:

Pup will stay overnight. This is good...pup will be happily stoned/druged up and monitored and kept calm and quiet in a smaller cage.

When you pick up pup, pup will not want help to the car and will probably run down the hall to see you and try to get in car herself. You will be amazed.

You will also probably be a little shocked. No matter how you prepare yourself it looks weird to see your dog minus a leg. Check out our blog (link in my signature or http://www.cassiesclub.com/ to see some pictures of dogs after their surgeries. It helped me. If you're REALLY freaked out by it, try not to let your dog see it. Say hello, then calmly go to the loo and bawl your eyes out, but do it away from the dog. Be upbeat and happy and light or else your dog may think something is wrong. Here's the weird thing: Your dog WON'T KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG. Just different. So be cool.

Pup will probably be bandaged. You may or may not need a cone or other device to keep her away from the bandage, or the stitches until they're removed. My favourite device was an old kid's t-shirt. Slip in on and tie up the excess material at the waist with an elastic band. Comfy, easy to throw in the wash if the incision site is a little oozy.

Pup will still be feeling the anaesthetic and will also be on painkillers. This will make pup feel weird and possibly wingy/panty/moany/howly, especially at night. If pup is making sad-sounding noises the first night or two, this is NORMAL and not necessarily pain, probably mainly anaesthetic hangover.

Put some comfy beds in pup's favourite rooms/lie down spots, and maybe consider a carpet runner or two if you have a lot of slippery floors. This won't be permanent but will be helpful for the first month or two.

Pup is a puppy and will want to play with her doggie sibling. Unfortunately, this is NOT ok for a few weeks, until the stitches come out at least. Pup should be in a crate when you're not at home to supervise. When you ARE home, I suggest keeping pup in crate or else on a leash, so you can grab her quickly when she gets the idea to do zoomies the day after her surgery

Pup will quickly adapt to stairs, and slippery floors, etc. BUT...pup WILL fall. This is just a fact of life tripod life. Right on her face. Hard. Perhaps often if she's a spaz. It will look and sound terrible and your heart willl lurch. But pup will just get up and carry on like nothing happened, so try to relax, leave her alone and let her figure it out on her own.

Let's see what else...keep pup on the lean side, NEVER allow to get overweight. I recommend a grain-free food or raw diet. Consider supplements like chondroitin/glucosamine for good joint health. Lots of exercise is good, but try to avoid significant high-impact stuff like major jumping, especially from heights. Try to walk her on soft surfaces like grass or gravel as much as possible and avoid concrete when you can. That's all I can think of for now.

Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!! I have been trying to prepare myself for this day but I know I will turn into a puddle as soon as I see her on Friday when she comes home . I will try to make it home and in the other room before I completely melt down!

I am really worried about how my neice (that is 5) will react. She has already called today to wish Ruby luck and make plans to come see her this weekend. We have talked to her about what is going to happen and she says she understands and that Ruby will be better without her "flipper". Do you think it is better that we wait until later in the week to let her come over??

Oh yeah Ruby is about 10 months old (we are guessing) The vet thinks she was born around Halloween (part of the reason she is so rotten!) We are not sure what breed or mix of breeds she is. When I adopted her they told me she was black lab/cattle dog but as she has grown I don't think she is that mix. I am thinking she is boxer/pitt bull. Not that it matters because she is my baby. We have had huge thunderstorms today and she has spent most of the day in my lap, all 50+ pounds of her!

Here are a couple of pictures of Ruby and her brother Mick. These are from several months ago and her "flipper" isn't very bad. This is when we first found the pellet in the bone. I will try to add some newer ones soon. (Sorry they are so big!!)

Hi, I don't have my own pets at the moment but I volunteer at my local SPCA. There are tripods that come through and or dogs that need amputations.

I totally agree with everything that Bendyfoot has said, it is all gold. Only thing that I want to add is that until your girl is used to having only three legs. When you take her out for walks, try to keep them shorter then normal and build up the lengths as her front leg will get tired quicker until she builds her strength up. If you don't monitor the time, often time they will run themselves into the ground and that is not good. Once they have learn to balance minus one leg and gain some muscle in the remaining leg, you will be surprised at how they act. Which is totally normal, like nothing had happened at all.

I wouldn't worry too much about your neice. It has been my experience that children readily accept the change or "difference" in my little tripod. For young children, when they ask what happened, I usually say "Jaida had a leg that was very sick and was hurting her, so the doctor helped make her feel better by taking the sick leg away. But she's fine now, and still likes to run and play." Most kids accept that without question, and then go around telling anyone who will listen "Jaida has only THREE legs!!!" I say talk about it freely and answer their questions. They will take their cue from you...if it's no big deal for you, it won't be a big deal for them either.

Now, while I wouldn't hesitate to have a little one say hello to your pup after the surgery, I would do it only if the little one can be calm and quiet and gentle, and also if the incision is covered up with a bandage or tshirt. The incision can be shocking, even for adults (it's a BIG boo-boo!).

By the way, she's a cutie-patootie!!

She's about the same size Jaida was when she had her amputation. We did carry Jaida up and down stairs for the first little while, because that is what worked for her and what she wanted. Other dogs refuse the help. If she's wobbly or you're feeling anxious, try supporting her belly with a towel wrapped under her.

Oh, one other thing...when you pick her up after the surgery, if you have a hatch back car or van, it might be easier to lift her in and out of the vehicle. Lifting a biggish dog gently into the back seat of a sedan is a bit tricky in my experience.

Thank you all for all the advise and good vibes! We can't get enough! I just dropped her off at the vet for her surgery and they should call me when the surgery is over. Thanks again and I will post some pictures when she comes home and is recovering.

I have just brought home a little dog that had to have his right back leg amputated. He had it done only last week and he is fine, fine, fine! Besides the stitches and the shocking look of a missing leg, he runs around after my other dogs and plays. I would never guess how fast he has recuperated! Don't worry, your doggie will be fine!
Best of luck! Just make sure he doesn't lick his stitches!

My cat had to have his back left leg amputated. He and his sister were born with half a back leg. The umbilical chord wrapped around her right left and his left leg inside the womb and yanked the rest of their legs off.

After he got his stitches out ^

It's been 3+ months since he had the surgery and he is doing much better. His fur has mostly come back and has healed very well otherwise.

That is what he used to have.

Hope that helps Glad to hear the surgery went well. My little Tripod had to stay overnight because he was completely whacked out and they had to lock him in a cage.

Yay! She's over the first hurdle and it sounds like she's doing great! We'll want to see pictures and hear how she does once she gets home today. You must feel better now knowing that the surgery went well, huh?

aww, Ruby is a little cutie, reminds me of my Molly- similar face
what is the latest today? Home time yet?? wishing you all a speedy recovery and strong nerves for when you pick her up! By the sounds of it she's a little champ!

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Doc called about 6 last night and said that I should be able to bring Ruby home this afternoon after 3! I am so excited and worried at the same time. I know she is going to be fine i just want to make her as comfortable as possible.
I want to make sure she stays hydrated so I was thinking about picking up a water bottle that you can attach to the kennel. Does anyone use one of those? I know she is supposed to stay as still as possible for a couple days so I don't want her out wandering the house or wrestiling with her brother.

One more question... Those of you with tripods.... did your other pets react to the missing leg? Just curious, poor Mick has been wandering the house looking for Ruby all day yesterday and last night, I didn't even think how he was going to react.

Gracie sniffed Jaida's boo-boo, and that was about it. She seemed to know that Jaida needed some quiet time and was really low-key and respectful and didn't initiate play for the first little while, it was pretty cool. Once Jaida was feeling better they were back to their usual antics like nothing ever happened. I've never seen ANY dog react oddly to Jaida's missing leg, other than to take advantage of it while play-wrestling (Gracie likes to chew on Jaida's right cheek/neck...Jaida has no right leg to pry her off with...it's sooooo cheating, but what can you do?)

The bottle's not a bad idea, but if she's never used one before, she may not catch on to it (I'm assuming you mean the kind with the little roller ball?). If you have a big enough crate you could put a regular (stable) water dish in there with her, that's what we did.

SHE'S HOME!! SHE'S HOME!!
Ruby pretty much met me at the front door at the Vets office just a bit ago!! She is hopping along like nothing ever happened!!! Doc said she was out running around and loving on people before he got the kennel door all the way open this morning!

I didn't think she would be doing this well for a couple weeks much less the next day! Now I am scared to see her in a couple weeks! I was hoping to slow her down for a couple days but she is quicker than before!

Bendyfoot: I am such a big baby I shed a few tears in the car but I did wait until I got her home and in her kennel before I bawled like a baby!

Thank you all for the and !!
Of course my bf took my camera with him this morning when he left for his guys weekend so I will try to post pictures as soon as I can!

One more question... Those of you with tripods.... did your other pets react to the missing leg? Just curious, poor Mick has been wandering the house looking for Ruby all day yesterday and last night, I didn't even think how he was going to react.

Nope. It will be fine. Animals don't care. My cats missed Tripod when he was gone for the night though. Otherwise it's fine.

So glad to hear ruby is doing so well. That pesky foot isn't in her way now to inhibit maximum zoomies. You can get a waterbowl that hooks right onto the bars of her crate, it's just a metal hoop for the bowl to sit in, with two flat plates one for each side of the bars, then just tighten the screws, that way you can adjust the height.